2024-10-03 21:25:26
Huila at Cafés de Colombia Expo 2024. With a stand that promotes a selection of the best coffees in the Huila territory, the department is present at this important fair. Diario del Huila tells the story of empowerment of Café Las Rosas, a participant in this event.
DIARIO DEL HUILA, CONTEXT
By: Gustavo Patino
Huila at Cafés de Colombia Expo 2024. The Cafés de Colombia Expo Fair, which takes place from October 2 to 5, 2024 in Corferias, Bogotá, has established itself as one of the most important events in the coffee sector in the country. This edition of the fair brings together hundreds of producers, exporters, experts and coffee lovers in a space dedicated to the promotion of quality, innovation and new trends in Colombian coffee. With a rich academic program, the event offers conferences, workshops and discussions on key topics for the future of coffee growing, such as the challenges faced by young people in the field, the impact of climate change, the incorporation of new technologies and the promotion to sustainability.
During these four days, attendees will be able to explore a wide variety of coffee products and learn about the experiences of different coffee-growing regions of the country. The fair is an opportunity for small and large producers to exhibit their specialty coffees and their innovation processes in a setting that allows both commercial exhibition and the generation of key contacts for the development of their businesses.
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Rich programming
One of the main attractions of this fair is its academic programming, which this year places special emphasis on the participation of new generations of coffee growers. Within the framework of the different panels and conferences, the challenges faced by young people who want to venture into coffee growing are addressed, in a context in which rural migration and the aging of the population on farms are critical issues.
Furthermore, one of the themes that runs through all the discussions is sustainability. In a global context that demands more environmentally friendly products, coffee growers are facing the need to adapt their processes and adopt practices that guarantee the protection of the natural environment. Climate change is a constant challenge for producers, who must adjust their sowing and harvest calendars, as well as implement strategies that mitigate its impact on crops.
Huila coffee, present
The department of Huila, one of the most important regions in coffee production in Colombia, has a notable participation in Cafés de Colombia Expo 2024. The coffee growers of Huila, with a tradition that goes back generations, have managed to position their beans among the most valued nationally and internationally. This year, Huila has its own stand, number 224, where different brands and ventures are exhibited that represent the effort and dedication of the coffee-growing families in the region. Gerardo España Rojas, president of the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Huila, stressed the importance of the fair as a platform to make Huila coffee visible and generate commercial opportunities for small producers.
“We have made a great effort to bring several personalities who have their high-quality coffee to show it. We continue to show our coffee from Huila, and that is our intention,” said España Rojas. The president of the Committee also highlighted the importance of the participation of young people in the event: “Some children who come from Pitalito, come from Brussels, come from Acevedo and come from Timaná come to this fair. The children are giving relevance to our coffee growing, learning to taste and sell these important products that we have in our department.”
We continue to grow
España Rojas also highlighted the department’s efforts to guarantee the quality and safety of the products they sell. “We have Invima registration so that our consumers feel happy, they feel confident in what they are taking today,” he said. According to the leader of the coffee union, participation in the fair not only represents a business opportunity, but also recognition of the quality and effort that coffee growers make to offer exceptional coffee. “Huila continues to grow and continues to improve our quality, which is what interests us here today,” he added.
The president of the Committee also mentioned the importance of adapting to new environmental demands. With the “green deal” in mind, España Rojas emphasized that “if you don’t take care of the environment, we won’t buy your coffee.” This commitment to sustainability has become a key factor for Huila coffee farmers, who work hard to implement more responsible practices and protect the environment in which they grow their coffee.
Las Rosas, female empowerment
One of the ventures that is part of stand 224 at Huila is Café Las Rosas, a project led by women coffee growers from the west of the department, which has managed to position itself in both the national and international markets. Nelly Saavedra Córdoba, legal representative of Café Las Rosas, tells the inspiring story behind this venture, which was born in 2008 as an initiative to empower women in the coffee sector.
Saavedra Córdoba explains that the Association of Coffee Women of Western Huila arose from the need to escape the anonymity of many of the women who, despite having worked their entire lives in coffee growing, were not visible as producers: “Our Association of Women Coffee Growers of Western Huila was born, let’s say, in 2008, when we began training. That is the word: training ourselves to get out of anonymity, where all women were.” For many of these women, coffee growing is a family tradition, since their parents and grandparents were coffee producers.
The project began with the delivery of 2,000 coffee trees to each woman, which allowed them to become owners of their own production. “We started with two thousand trees. Thank God, now there are women who have 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, depending on the amount of land they have,” says Saavedra, who sees this experience as a clear example of female empowerment in the countryside.
Product diversification
Café Las Rosas has not only limited itself to the production of coffee, but has diversified its products, offering everything from roasted and ground coffee to arequipes, wines, cookies and coffee-flavored sabajón. The *Las Rosas Coffee* store, located in the municipality of La Plata, has become a space where the community can enjoy all these products, made with the coffee they grow themselves.
The project has also managed to expand into international markets. For nine years, they have been exporting their coffee to Canada through the company RGC, which not only buys their product, but also works with the association on gender equality and generational matching projects. “They are not only concerned with buying our coffee, but with doing work where gender equality, generational fusion and new masculinities are very important,” says Saavedra, highlighting that these projects seek to strengthen both women and their families. families.
The vision of Saavedra and the other members of the Association of Coffee Women of Western Huila is not limited only to coffee production, but also seeks to promote entrepreneurship and education in new generations. “Here not only women are empowered, but husbands and children are also empowered,” says Saavedra. This focus on family inclusion has been key to the success of the project, which continues to grow and consolidate itself as a benchmark in the Huila coffee sector.